"If West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada, isn’t among the “Seven Wonders of the Shopping World,” it should be. Though surpassed as the world’s biggest shopping center under one roof in 2004, it remains the largest in North America. But words like “monstrous” and “gigantic” don’t come close to describing it.

West Edmonton ( www.wem.ca) is a mall walker’s paradise: It takes a half-hour to go from one side to the other without making stops while passing more than 800 stores and 200 restaurants that span the equivalent of 104 football fields."

I guess WEM may not be the place that defines Edmonton but the tourists still look at it as a reason to come to town. Hope Bob visited more of the city.

Gemini

29-09-2013, 05:23 PM

His 1/2 hour walk from one end to the other seems rather high. If there is no one in the mall I doubt it would take that long to say go from one east entrance to a west one. I think it could be done in way less time. The mall is 10 blocks from 170 Street to 180 Street and some of it is parking lots. The guy must be a slow walker.

expat

29-09-2013, 09:28 PM

"If West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada, isn’t among the “Seven Wonders of the Shopping World,” it should be. Though surpassed as the world’s biggest shopping center under one roof in 2004, it remains the largest in North America. But words like “monstrous” and “gigantic” don’t come close to describing it.

West Edmonton ( www.wem.ca (http://www.wem.ca)) is a mall walker’s paradise: It takes a half-hour to go from one side to the other without making stops while passing more than 800 stores and 200 restaurants that span the equivalent of 104 football fields."

I guess WEM may not be the place that defines Edmonton but the tourists still look at it as a reason to come to town. Hope Bob visited more of the city.

But it is, that and the Oilers of the 1980s. Nothing else even comes close.

sundance

30-09-2013, 12:08 PM

His 1/2 hour walk from one end to the other seems rather high. If there is no one in the mall I doubt it would take that long to say go from one east entrance to a west one. I think it could be done in way less time. The mall is 10 blocks from 170 Street to 180 Street and some of it is parking lots. The guy must be a slow walker.
If he was walking with his wife or girlfriend it would be 1-2 hours. ;) I try to spend as least time in malls as possible so its very strategic shopping, know what you want and where you want to get it at before you even go.

AShetsen

30-09-2013, 12:23 PM

But it is, that and the Oilers of the 1980s. Nothing else even comes close.

That may be true, in the eyes of outsiders who are as ignorant of our reality as we are, to be honest, of any place outside our own long term experience. (In the same way as our images of, say, life in Tokyo or Moscow or Peking or -- on a scale similar to ours -- Helsinki are little more than laughable stereotypes.)

In Edmonton's every day reality, however, the mythical Oilers of the past are little more than bedtime stories, and WEM is little more than a place some go shopping some of the time.

What truly defines this place is a difficult question, but post-card images are not it. I suspect it like so many other places is simply an anonymous first-world conurbation with a thriving economy. Please do not take that as any kind of insult, for it certainly is not meant to be one; it is, to the contrary, likely as close to heaven on earth as human beings have gotten, if only they care enough to takle physical care of their own minds and bodies.

Johnny199r

20-10-2013, 11:05 PM

I've been to both WEM and Mall of America in Minneapolis, MOA seems way bigger, like not even close bigger.

sonicboom

21-10-2013, 05:49 PM

New Horizon Mall, Calgary (Calgary's version of Pacific Mall in Markham)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Y6yfMFb2c

Edmcowboy11

21-10-2013, 11:43 PM

I've been to both WEM and Mall of America in Minneapolis, MOA seems way bigger, like not even close bigger.

Now of course I'm just basing my numbers from Wikipedia for MOA but according to that website MOA has 500+ retailers and services where as WEM according to their own website has 800+ retail and services